Keep Your Friends Close
by sockie1000
Summary: Wo Fat stood, buttoned his suit jacket, and walked towards the front door of the noodle restaurant. He could feel Steve McGarrett's eyes boring holes into his back.  Good. That was exactly what he wanted. *picks up where "Ne Me'e Laua Na Paio" ends
1. Chapter 1

Title: Keep Your Friends Close…

Author: sockie1000

Disclaimers: CBS's characters and playground, my corner of the sandbox

Summary: Wo Fat stood, buttoned his expensive suit jacket, and walked towards the front door of the noodle restaurant. He could feel Steve McGarrett's eyes boring holes into his back. Good. That was exactly what he wanted. ** picks up where "Ne Me'e Laua Na Paio" ends**

Author's notes (updated 4/1): This story was hard for me to classify. I basically wrote it like an episode. So, it has a little bit of everything- some suspense, drama, mystery, and action but also plenty of rants, banter, snark, and dare I say even some whump. I even threw in a plot and some characterization just or the heck of it. :)

Now, on with the show…

**************************************H50***********************************

"Dinner's on me."

Wo Fat calmly laid the $100 bill on the table, enough to cover the tea, McGarrett's beer, and anything else he would like to order. However, Wo Fat knew McGarrett had lost his appetite. He could see it on his face. The $100 would go unused tonight. And that was fine with Wo Fat- he owned the noodle restaurant anyway. It was one of his many convenient money laundering operations. So, $100 spent now was $100 less to launder later.

Wo Fat stood, buttoned his expensive suit jacket, and walked towards the front door of the restaurant. He could feel Steve McGarrett's eyes boring holes into his back. Good. That was exactly what he wanted.

He was not afraid of McGarrett. He was a worthy opponent, that much was certain, and one he should keep his eye on, but Wo Fat knew McGarrett would not try anything tonight. Not while he held the life of the motivated yet naïve Jenna Kaye in his hands.

Wo Fat smiled to himself as he opened the restaurant door, and stepped outside into the dark night.

Steve watched Wo Fat go, his jaws clenched, keeping his rage under control. If there was one thing Steve had learned during his years with the SEALs, it was how to compartmentalize his emotions.

And Steve had a lot of emotions to compartmentalize at the moment. Hatred for Wo Fat. Frustration from having the man who was responsible for the murders of his parents, sitting right there in front of him, yet being unable to do anything about it. Anger at himself, for sitting with his back towards the door, unable to see his enemy approaching. Amazement at how, even with all of Steve's training, he still had not seen or sensed Wo Fat until he pulled down a chair to sit down. But he did not have time to think about any of that now. Compartmentalize. Focus.

He glanced down at the $100 bill on the table. A bold gesture. Symbolic, but bold. Steve was a quick study. He got the message. Wo Fat knew who Steve was, where he was, and who he was meeting. And Wo Fat had strolled into the restaurant, sat down with him, and even had the audacity to pay for a dinner where Wo Fat knew catching him would be the topic of conversation. With Jenna. Steve swore.

The thought of Jenna snapped Steve into action. He had to make sure she was safe. She was not trained for the field, and was totally unprepared to personally deal not only with Wo Fat, but also with any of his henchmen. And she was being followed- that much was clear.

Steve jumped up from the table and ran out the door. He looked both ways down the street, but Wo Fat was nowhere to be seen. Steve was not surprised.

He whipped out his cell phone and dialed Jenna's number as he ran towards his truck. The call was trying to connect as Steve unlocked and opened the truck, climbed inside, slammed the door, and started the ignition. Finally, the call went through.

The phone rang once, twice… and Steve found himself praying to God that Jenna would answer.

_To be continued…_

_*************************************************************H50**********************************************************************_

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short. I just wanted to get the ball rolling. And this story will have Jenna in it, obviously, but the rest of the team as well. So, if she is not your favorite, I hope you read on anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

A/Ns- Thanks for reading and for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites, guys. I'm so glad to have you all along for the ride!

Please note that this chapter is somewhat Jenna heavy, but her role tapers off significantly after this. So, if you do not like her, hopefully there is enough super-protective Steve to keep you interested. :)

Chapter 2

***********************************H50*********************************

"Hello?"

Steve let out the breath he had been holding while the phone rang. "Jenna? Are you ok?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Jenna asked.

Steve ignored the question for the time being. "Jenna, listen. I need you to do exactly as I say, no questions asked. Can you do that?"

Jenna recognized the urgency is his voice, but drew a blank as to what could be causing it. Although she had only known McGarrett for two days, she knew enough about him to know he did not mess around. If he was asking her to do what he said, something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

"Jenna, you still there?"

Jenna snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes," she spoke hoarsely. She gathered her resolve, cleared her throat and spoke again, this time more loudly. "Yes, I'm still here."

"Can you do what I say?" The urgency was still there.

"Yes, yes of course."

"Ok. Here is what I need you to do. First off, do not change the way you are driving. Do not speed up. Do not slow down. And, by all means, do not stop. Now, can you tell me where you are?"

Jenna fought down her unease. "Yes. I'm on my way to the restaurant. I just passed your office."

"All right. I need you to turn around and head to HPD. If there are no empty parking spaces right in front, I want you to park in a handicapped spot or even on the sidewalk if you have to. I will call them and have a uniformed officer meet you there. Do not get out of the car until you see him. He will escort you inside, where I will come find you. Is that all clear?"

Jenna's unease was well on its way to becoming full blown panic. She took a few deep breaths and managed to respond, "yes. Yes, I've got it. But can you tell me what's going on?"

Steve knew better than to tell her then. "I'll tell you when I get there. Remember, keep driving normally, no sudden movements. I'll be there in 10 minutes. I'm going to hang up now and call HPD, ok?"

"Ok."

Steve hung up the phone and quickly hit a number on his speed dial, connecting him to HPD. He explained the situation and had everything squared away for an escort within minutes. Only then did he take a deep breath and reassess the situation.

Jenna could not be left unprotected, that much was clear. Wo Fat knew who she was, and without any training, she was the proverbial sitting duck.

Although Jenna had gotten off on the wrong foot with him, the air had been cleared. Steve still wasn't 100% sure he could trust her, but so far, she had checked out ok. His contact at the CIA had verified her account as to why she was on leave. And his gut instinct, which was usually right, told him she wasn't lying about her intent to catch Wo Fat. And if she was after Wo Fat, that made her on his side. And if she was on his side, her safety was his responsibility. Because if there was one thing Steve was committed to, besides justice, it was protecting his people.

Steve pulled into the HPD parking lot and saw Jenna's silver Malibu rental parked up front, just like he had asked her to do. Jenna might be green and naive, but at least she could follow orders. Steve pulled into the space next to hers and killed the engine on his truck. He looked out the windows and mirrors, and drew his weapon before exiting the vehicle. He cautiously made his way to the front door of HPD without incident.

Once inside, he holstered his weapon and asked the officer on duty at the front desk where he could find Jenna. Steve was led up to the second floor, to a window-less conference room, where he was met by another uniformed officer and a very scared CIA analyst.

Steve quickly strode over to Jenna, who stood up. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Jenna nodded, still scared, but trying to hide it. "What's going on?"

Steve looked at the uniformed officer. "Can you give us a minute?" he asked.

The officer nodded, then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Steve pulled a chair out for Jenna, who sat down, and looked at him expectantly. Steve pulled out the chair next to hers, and sat, facing her. He rubbed his hand over his face for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell her. The truth was going to scare her, more than she already was. But, she deserved to know, no matter how unpleasant it might be. She was a big girl. She was a CIA analyst. She has seen teams act on her intel. And she had seen her fiancé die. He had to trust that she could handle the truth.

"Wo Fat was at the restaurant tonight." Steve looked straight at Jenna, ready to gauge her reaction. He was not surprised to see shock written all over her face.

"He was there? At the noodle place?" she asked, incredulously.

Steve nodded.

Jenna sat in stunned silence for a moment. Finally, she furrowed her eyebrows and spoke softly, "why didn't you kill him?"

Steve shook his head. "I couldn't. It was too dangerous." He failed to mention why it was too dangerous, knowing that shock would probably keep her from guessing the real reason, at least for now. Plus, he was in no hurry to tell her.

Jenna sat there for a minute, processing.

Steve could read the emotions on her face like a book. Shock, amazement, anger… they were all there. All the emotions he had experienced 30 minutes ago were playing out in front of him, clear as day, on her face. It was a good thing she had never been in the field, he reflected. She had a terrible poker face.

Jenna composed herself, took a deep breath and blew it out. "Ok," she said. "Where do we go from here?"

Steve leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees. "For now, you are going to stay here. If Wo Fat knew we were meeting at the restaurant, he knows where you are staying. Did you leave anything at the hotel?"

"Just my things, and my clothes. And the case files…" her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes, sighing. "Crap."

"Did you leave the tape recorder there? Or the postcards?" Steve spoke earnestly.

Jenna shook her head. "No. I have the postcards with me, in my bag. And the tape recorder is in a safe deposit box at the Bank of Hawaii. I have the key with me on my keychain."

Steve nodded. "Ok. Was there anything in those case files that you need?"

Jenna sighed again. "Unfortunately, yes. All of my work for the last 3 years was in that room. Documents, emails, phone records, money trails… all of it."

"Did you have it backed up anywhere? Maybe on a CIA server?"

"I pulled everything off the server when I took my leave. I do have most of it backed up on a memory stick, but that's at the hotel too."

"Please tell me you hid it."

Jenna nodded. "Yes. I did."

Steve breathed out a sigh of relief. At least the kid did that right. "Ok, then. You sit tight." Steve stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Jenna asked, turning in her seat.

Steve paused, hand on the doorknob, and looked back at her. "To your hotel."

_To be continued…_

**********************************************************H50**************************************************

A/N: Have no fear, Danny fans. Danny shows up in all of his spectacular glory in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/Ns: I have gotten several questions re: Jenna . I have an incredibly long author's note at the end of the chapter if you are interested. The Cliff Notes version is her role is still there, but diminishes significantly starting now, and even more in future chapters, so we can focus on our favorite four.

Now, back to the story…

Chapter 3

************************************H50**********************************

"Coffee, babe? Really?" Danny asked good humouredly as he walked into the 5-0 headquarters the following morning.

Steve looked up from his coffee cup. He didn't even bother to make a joke. "Yeah. I'm tired."

"No kidding. I've never seen you drink coffee before. Late night?"

Steve nodded. "You could say that."

"Yes, yes I could." Danny grinned. "Especially since I saw a certain attractive female CIA analyst in the conference room, looking equally tired, also sucking down coffee."

Steve rolled his eyes. "It's not what you're thinking."

Danny raised his eyebrows, still grinning. "It's not?"

Steve shook his head. "No. Get your mind out of the gutter. Besides, she's like, 16 or something."

"No, she is definitely not 16." Danny countered, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his feet. "But I am inclined to believe you this time, since when you get some Barry White, you tend to have a goofy smile for a day or two. And you are definitely not smiling today. So, what's up?"

Steve took another sip of coffee. He really was not looking forward to this. But there was no alternative. At least not an acceptable one.

"Remember how Agent Kaye paid me a visit a few days ago, asking for all my information on my father's investigations?"

Danny nodded. "Sure. And you were stubborn and said no."

"Well," Steve continued, "it turns out I was right to be suspicious. I called one of my CIA contacts and got her personnel file."

Danny's smile disappeared and he sat down in one of Steve's office chairs. "One of them?" he inclined his head. "Exactly how many contacts do you have in the CIA?"

Steve raised an eyebrow, squinted one eye, and looked up at the ceiling, as if he was counting in his head.

Danny held up a hand. "You know what? Never mind. I really don't want to know."

Steve shrugged. "It's really not important anyway. The point is, I got her personnel file and she is currently on leave from the CIA. I confronted her in her hotel room and persuaded her to share her information with me."

"Let me guess," Danny interrupted, "the State of Hawaii owes her hotel a new door?"

Steve frowned but continued. "As it turns out, she had some pieces of the puzzle that I was missing. Namely, that Victor Hesse is not the top of the food chain. He works for a man named Wo Fat."

Danny looked stunned. "You mean the same Wo Fat who was playing golf with Hiro Noshimuri when we arrested him?"

Steve nodded. "It gets worse. Hiro works for Wo Fat as well. So it appears that Wo Fat either had knowledge of or was directly responsible for the murder of both my parents."

Danny sat in silence for a moment, soaking it all in. "Ok," he finally nodded, "how do we find this guy?"

Steve took a long sip of his coffee. Here was the part he had been dreading… spilling the news that would lead to the inevitable Danny tirade.

Steve set his coffee mug down and sighed. "Actually, Wo Fat came and found me last night."

Danny's face lost all emotion. "What?" he asked.

"I went to meet Jenna at Ono Fun Noodle House to go over the progress she made in the past two days. But before she got there, Wo Fat came in and sat down at my table. He made a thinly veiled threat against Jenna so I wouldn't shoot him. He said he wanted to meet me and told me not to dig into my family's past too much, that I might not like what I found. Then he got up and left."

Danny tapped his fingers together and frowned. "So, now it's 'Jenna'? What happened to 'Agent Kaye'?"

Steve started to speak, but Danny held up his hand. "No. It is my turn to speak. To tell you what a stark, raving mad lunatic you are." Danny's intensity increased with each word. "When were you going to tell me all of this, _partner_? Do you think it might have been something I should have known about?"

"Danny, I…"

"No!" Danny nearly shouted as he hopped up out of his seat. "No talking! It's bad enough you are running around, doing clandestine operations with someone who's 16, but you're also doing it behind my back! And you're meeting up with dangerous criminals to boot! How many times have I told you that you need back-up? Lots and lots of back-up? When will you get that through your thick skull?"

Steve couldn't help himself. He grinned. "So, now you agree she's 16?"

"She is if she's running around playing cops and robbers with you! I mean, does she even know how to shoot a gun?" Danny paced in front of Steve's desk, running his hand through his hair, making it stick up at crazy angles. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? This Wo Fat guy could have killed you! Got it? You could have been killed! Or worse!"

"Worse than killed?"

"Yes!" Danny yelled. "Worse than killed!"

"What's worse than killed?" Steve asked questioningly.

"I don't know! Maybe tortured and killed! Or mangled and killed! In any case, it would be worse! And knowing you, that's probably what you were angling for anyway!"

"Come on, Danny," Steve offered, "you know I'm never angling to get killed. Or worse than killed."

"Of course you're not! You're always too busy angling to get _me_ worse than killed."

"You're upset, Danny. I get that." Steve spoke calmly. "But you know that's not true."

Danny continued pacing for a few more strides, then stopped and blew out a large breath. He dropped his head. "Yeah, I know," he conceded. He sat back down in his chair. "Just… what were you thinking?"

Steve sighed. "I was trying to protect you. And Kono and Chin. I figured the less you knew, the better. At least until I figured out what was going on."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Enough with the hero complex already. Chin and I are big boys. And Kono is a big girl. We can take care of ourselves. We even have the big kid underwear to prove it."

"I know." Steve nodded. "And I'm sorry. I'll be upfront with everything from now on."

"Ok." Danny sighed. "So, where do we stand now?"

"Well, Wo Fat's men tore apart Jenna's hotel room. They took her computer and all of her files, but they missed her back-up flash drive. I picked it up last night. So, now we have it and Jenna's is getting things printed off and set-up in the conference room. And we also have the tape my dad made and his postcards. We'll have a collective briefing when everyone gets here and Jenna is ready to go."

Danny squinted and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do I even want to know if you took anyone with you to the hotel room?" he asked.

Steve shook his head. "Probably not."

Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You know, normally I would have another nice, animated discussion with you about the need for backup, but the last one gave me a headache. So, if you could just replay the discussion we had two minutes ago in your head, we'll call it even."

Steve grinned, opened his desk drawer, and tossed Danny a bottle of Tylenol. "Will do, partner."

_To be continued…_

***********************************************************H50*********************************************************

A/N #1: Oh, how I love me a Danny rant. Hope you liked it too. :)

A/N #2 (warning- this is really long): I know some people like Jenna, but it seems most do not. Personally, I am on the fence. I'm not loving her right now, but I'm willing to reserve judgment until her next 2 episodes are aired. I trust that Peter Lenkov and co. know what they are doing, and will make the right decision for our beloved show. After all, the casting on the show so far has been excellent, from the leads all the way down to the minor bad guys. Seriously, I love them all. Except for Jenna.

So, why did I put her in the story?

Good question. I did so for several reasons:

1) I wanted to pick up right where the action stopped on the show. I was dying to know what happened next, and, in my mind, this story is what happened next. I didn't want a "one week later… " start to the story. I think doing that would have eliminated the great intensity the writers left us with when Wo Fat walked out of the restaurant. And when you have a great opening like that as a writer, you have to take it and run. And since the writers had Jenna in the last scene (by Wo Fat threatening her), she had to be in the story. She could not magically disappear.

2) While I may not be crazy about Jenna, I do love Steve. And an in-charge, protective Steve is even better. This provided a perfect opportunity to explore that side of his character. After all, there is no way Steve would have learned Jenna was being followed and done nothing about it. Wo Fat could eat Jenna for a snack, if he wanted to, without even trying. Steve would never leave her vulnerable like that. And to have him do so would have been an enormous disservice to his character.

3) I wanted to try and make sense of Jenna's actions on the episode. In particular, the attempted intimidation of Steve (which was covered in Steve's thoughts in Ch. 2) and the whole horrible gum thing (the basis for the comments about her being 16 years old in Ch. 3).

4) I wanted to have the team wonder if they could trust Jenna. It seemed to me like that was way too easy on the show. Read a file, listen to a sad story, and you're in just didn't cut it for me. (this was addressed somewhat in Steve's thoughts in Ch. 2, with more discussion upcoming in Ch. 4)

So, in a very large nutshell, that is why I put Jenna in the story.

The good news is that the entire team is the primary focus of the rest of the story. Danny made his entrance here, and Chin and Kono enter at the beginning of Ch. 4. Going forward, Jenna is still in the story, but in the background. I left all the fun stuff for our favorite four to handle. And, as a FYI, this story will most likely be 10-12 chapters long. (I am currently working on Ch. 9). So, in the grand scheme of things, a chapter or two that is Jenna heavy is a small percentage of the story. It just happens to be all upfront.

I hope that all made sense and I do appreciate you taking the time to read it. And I really hope that even if you dislike Jenna (or my version of her), that you will continue reading the story. I write because I enjoy doing so, but having you guys along for the ride is what makes it fun. And I really want you to have fun too. After all, that's what fan fic is all about.

Sockie :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Thanks so much for the detailed comments and feedback, guys! I love hearing all of your thoughts. Stories are so much more fun when they are interactive. It's like a nice virtual book club with all your friends. You guys are the best!

Chapter 4

***********************************H50***********************************

It took Jenna a few hours to recreate all of the lost evidence. By the time she was ready at 1:00 pm, the conference room looked like a war room. Photos, maps, phone records… they were all there, either plastered all over the walls or stacked neatly in one of seemingly hundreds of binder-clipped piles.

"Wow," Danny said, upon walking into the room, "Office depot must love us."

"Yeah," Kono added, pulling out a chair and sitting down, "but the tree-huggers, not so much."

"A necessary evil in this case," Steve said, as he walked in with a fresh cup of coffee.

"More coffee? You must really be tired." Danny smiled humorously at Chin, who was already seated next to him. "You know, Steve never has a second cup of coffee at home."

Chin laughed. "I bet he likes it black, just like his…"

"Ok, ok," Steve interrupted, holding up his hand. "Enough already with the Airplane quotes. Let's just get on with it."

He sat down and gestured towards Jenna to start. Three hours later, they were all fully informed, but no closer to tracking down Wo Fat's whereabouts then when they started.

"Ok, guys," Steve said, "let's take a break and meet back here in 10 minutes." They all stood and stretched.

"I need some more caffeine. Anyone want anything?" Jenna asked.

They all shook their heads. "No, we're good," Steve replied.

Chin watched Jenna leave the room and walk down the hall before he spoke. "Here is what I don't understand- who sent the postcards to you and the tape recorder to Jenna? And why?"

Steve rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I've been trying to figure that out, too."

"It just doesn't make sense," Kono answered, shaking her head. "We know Hiro had the box with all the evidence inside. Why didn't he destroy it?"

"Maybe he thought it would be useful later," Danny said.

"But for what?" Kono asked.

"Maybe blackmail?" Danny answered. "Or insurance? If Hiro knew the evidence could implicate Wo Fat, maybe he kept it around to make sure Wo Fat didn't try anything funny."

"But if that's the case, why would Hiro send it back to us?" Kono asked. "Wouldn't he want to keep it?"

"It seems that way. There's got to be something there that we are missing." Steve shook his head. "And we still have no idea who sent us the packages. Hiro's in jail. If he ordered the evidence sent back to us, someone on the outside knew where it was. Or had it all along."

"Which brings us back to our new CIA analyst…" Chin said, treading gently. "Steve, are you sure you can trust her? It is a little suspicious that you get the postcards in the mail and then a week later she appears with the tape recorder."

"Yeah. I know," Steve said, resigned.

"But…" Kono prompted.

Steve sighed. "But so far, she checks out ok. And although she came in here trying to intimidate me with a BS story, I understand why she did it. She was desperate to know what we know. She just went about trying to get that information the wrong way. She's trying to get justice for her fiancé, just like I'm trying to get justice for my parents."

"And you don't think your… sympathy… for her situation has clouded your judgment?" Chin asked.

"No. I don't." Steve shook his head, then looked at Danny. "I learned my lesson with Nick Taylor."

Danny nodded. "You know, Chin, I had the same concerns as you. But I've been watching Jenna all day, and I just don't get a malicious vibe from her. Young, naive, motivated, nerdy, awkward, and probably in over her head, yes. But evil intent or ulterior motives? No. I don't get that from her at all. Still, it wouldn't hurt for all of us to keep an eye on her, just in case."

"Agreed." Chin nodded.

Kono lifted her head minutely. "Here she comes, guys."

"So," Danny asked as Jenna walked into the room, "did anyone notice Leonard's has a new flavor of malasadas?"

Jenna gave Danny a strange look and then she set her coffee down and started to look through a stack of papers.

"Smooth, brah," Kono chuckled under her breath as they all took their seats.

Danny shrugged and grinned.

"Ok, guys," Steve said, "let's take another look at the postcards. Maybe whoever returned them to us left a print or something. Or anything."

"It's a good thing we get these things for free," Danny said as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

They spilt-up the postcards between them five ways and started looking.

Kono was intently studying her third postcard when something caught her eye. "Steve, could you come here for a minute?"

"Sure." Steve got up, walked over, and stood behind Kono's chair, leaning over her shoulder. "Whatcha got?"

Kono pointed to an address on the postcard. "You see that?"

Steve looked closely and nodded. "It looks like two different pens were used. They are both black ball-point, but it looks like the color saturation of the ink is a little different."

"That's what I thought too. Do you remember that from before?" Kono asked.

Steve furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, I don't." Steve looked at Chin. "Could you pull up the pictures that Mary made?"

"Sure. Just give me just a second." Chin stood and walked out of the conference room to the computer in the bullpen, the rest of the team following him. He worked quickly and after a few seconds the digital picture that Mary took of the postcard appeared. With a flick of his wrist, Chin sent the image flying onto the large hanging monitor.

Danny smiled. "Steve, I love your sister."

Steve walked up to the screen to get a better view, holding up the postcard for comparison.

"The marks made by the different pen are new," Steve said. "They weren't there before." He turned to Jenna. "You didn't accidently make them, did you?"

Jenna shook her head. "No. I was very careful. I never even looked at the postcards near a pen."

Steve walked back and showed the rest of the team. "See this address? These two lines before it were added."

"But what are the lines?" Kono asked. "Are they supposed to be ones or hash marks?"

"I'm not sure, but my guess is they are ones." Steve said, piecing it all together. "It looks like someone was changing the address. Instead of 544 Kamehameha Highway, it's 11544 Kamehameha Highway. And, if I remember correctly, there's nothing at 544 Kamehameha Highway. I drove out there a few months ago and there was nothing there."

"You're right, there's not." Chin spoke, not looking up from the computer. "But there is something at 11544 Kamehameha Highway." He flicked his wrist again and a satellite photo flew up on the screen.

"What's that?" Jenna asked.

"An old abandoned cannery," Chin answered.

Steve looked at Danny. "It looks like we're going for a drive, partner."

Danny frowned. "I changed my mind, Steve. I hate your sister."

Steve ignored the remark. "If someone changed the address, then there's something they want us to see there. Or someone they want us to meet."

"Or there is one other scenario…" Danny said, his voice trailing off.

"What's that?" Jenna asked.

Steve nodded grimly. "That it's a trap."

_To be continued…_

***********************************H50********************************

A/N- Yes, I made up the addresses. But our beloved H50 writers do the same thing, so I'm ok with it. But I did try to use some logic. Kamehameha Hwy does have the Dole plantation on it, so it seemed reasonable there could be another cannery on the same road somewhere else.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ok, guys, I'm sorry but this chapter is a little short. I'm also posting a fun little one shot today, so that took some of my time. However, I wanted to give you a quick update before the weekend.

Chapter 5

*************************************H50***********************************

"An old abandoned cannery…" Danny grumbled from the passenger seat, shaking his head, "that's just peachy."

Steve looked over from the driver's seat. "Actually, Danny, it would be pineapple-y, since that's what they canned."

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's just great. You and the great state of Hawaii are now conspiring to rob me of my idioms."

Steve grinned. Sometimes it was just too easy. "Well, look on the bright side. At least it's not an old abandoned warehouse," he offered.

"Like that really makes a difference," Danny groused. "All big abandoned buildings are the same. They're spooky and creepy and they have entirely too many places where bad guys can hide while they wait to kill me."

"You're a bit dramatic, you know that?"

Danny frowned. "Doesn't make it any less true. But seriously, why do all of our leads take us creepy places? What can't we ever have a lead that takes us somewhere innocuous, like, I don't know, the Disney store at the Ala Moana Mall?"

Steve nodded. "That would be better. Because if they bad guys were waiting for us there, the music alone would drive them to kill themselves before we ever showed up."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Who are you, the Grinch? How can you not like the Disney store? It's full of imagination, fairy tales, and childhood happiness. "

Steve frowned. "It's too noisy. And bright."

Danny pursed his lips, nodded, and clasped his hands together. "All right, then. That settles it. That right there is proof positive you were never held as a baby, no matter what you say or how many doctored photos you can produce."

Steve ignored him and turned off the main road. "We're here."

The cannery was an ugly building, with drab gray concrete walls and long, narrow windows placed high on the walls. The grounds were overgrown, the windows filthy, and the metal sign rusted. It appeared it had been abondoned many years ago.

Steve pulled up to the front of the building and parked perpendicular to it, then killed the engine on the Camaro. He pulled out his gun and checked it to make sure the clip was full and that there was one round in the chamber. They were already wearing their vests. Satisfied, he looked at Danny. "You ready?" he asked.

"Aren't we going to wait for Chin and Kono?" Danny asked.

Steve shook his head. "No. If there is someone here trying to kill us, as you so fervently believe, then we're sitting ducks waiting in a parking lot."

"Better sitting ducks in a parking lot than sitting ducks in a shooting gallery. At least out here we'd get a chance to drive away," Danny grumbled.

"You worry too much. We'll be careful. It'll be fine," Steve reassured, then stepped out of the car, weapon drawn. He trained his gun on the cannery, providing Danny cover as he exited the car. Then they ran, simultaneously, to the front door- Steve covering the front door and first floor windows, Danny covering the second floor windows.

They made it, without incident, to the front door, where they each stood on opposite sides of the door frame. Steve slowly tried turning the door knob, but it did not budge. The door was locked.

Steve nodded once at Danny, then silently mouthed "one… two… three…" and kicked in the door.

They swept inside, working in perfect unison, their dance of clearing rooms having been perfected over time. They quickly moved from room to room, floor to floor, ferreting out all possible dangers, until they were left with nothing but an empty building and cobwebs.

"Clear," Steve said for the last time.

"Clear," Danny echoed back.

They looked at each other and holstered their weapons.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. "So, what is so important here that we have to drive all the way out here to see it?"

Steve shook his head. "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense."

They had scoped out the cannery at a high level during their pass, and had not seen anything even remotely interesting. For the most part, the place was deserted, with only scarce furniture, some rusted machinery, and a few faded OSHA safety posters left hanging on the walls.

"Where do you want to start?" Danny asked.

"Let's start in the front of the building, with the office, and work our way back. Who knows, maybe there is something in one of the file cabinets," Steve said.

They made their way back up to the office, which was located down a long hallway from the front lobby. The outdated office furniture and dust screamed the office had not been used for years, if not decades.

Steve flipped the light switch. Unsurprisingly, the lights did not come on. The electricity had probably been turned off years ago. However, there was enough light to see coming through the dingy window on the outside wall.

Steve picked one file cabinet, Danny another, and they started sifting through the yellowed papers.

After a few minutes, Danny spoke. "Wow. There really were crimes committed here." He held up piece of paper and waved it in the air. "Canned pineapple at the store is highway robbery. Did you see how cheap it is wholesale?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Focus, Danny."

Danny dropped the paper back into the file cabinet and closed the drawer. "I am focused, and I can tell you now, this is nothing here but a dead end."

They both heard the gun click a second too late.

"You are right about that, Detective Williams," a new voice said. "Now, both of you, raise your arms in the air and slowly turn around."

_To be continued…_

*************************************H50***********************************

A/Ns: sorry to leave you with a little cliffhanger, and over the weekend, too. well, only a little sorry- I really do want you to come back to see what happens next! :)

And here's a shameless plug for my other story going up today… it's called Control Issues, and it is probably my favorite one shot that I have ever written. Lots of fun banter. So, please go check it out. I think you'll like it. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

*************************************H50*************************************

Steve cursed to himself. He knew that voice. It was a voice he would never forget. And the last time he heard it, he had sworn next time they would meet on his terms. He would never let Wo Fat get the drop on him again.

Yet, he had. Twice in two days. With all of Steve's training and experience, that was unforgiveable. At least it was to Steve. And it only served to underscore just how lethal an opponent Wo Fat was. And that scared Steve. A lot. But he couldn't dwell on any of that now. He had to compartmentalize. Again.

Steve had no choice but to do what Wo Fat said. There was no way he could draw his weapon and get off a shot fast enough. Not even he was that good. So, he raised his arms and started to turn around. He saw Danny out of the corner of his eye doing the same.

"Really?" Danny asked as he turned to face Wo Fat. "'Raise your arms in the air and turn around'? That's what you're going with? I thought that was a just tired cliché left over from old cowboy movies. I had no idea anyone actually said that anymore. Having heard so much about you, I'm disappointed. I was expecting more. "

Wo Fat looked at Danny and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Such as…"

Danny shrugged and said, "oh, you know; thinly veiled death threats, old Chinese proverbs… the usual."

Wo Fat smiled slightly. "I see your penchant for joking was not exaggerated, Detective Williams."

Wo Fat motioned with his head to his two gunmen, who moved in and made quick work of patting down both Steve and Danny, taking their weapons and phones. Once satisfied that they had found and removed everything, the gunmen stepped back on either side of Wo Fat. However, they did not holster their weapons. One of them was trained on Steve, the other one on Danny.

"What do you want, Wo Fat?" Steve demanded.

Wo Fat turned his head to look at Steve. "Need I remind you, Commander McGarrett, you are not in a position to be making demands," he said, calmly. "But since you are under a bit of stress at the moment, I will overlook it."

"What do you want?" Steve ground out the words, his anger unmistakable in his tone.

Wo Fat nodded slightly at Steve. "You're trying to assert dominance. I expected no less." He paused a moment for effect, then walked right in front of Steve, looked into his face, and calmly continued, "But to answer your question, you already know what I want. I told you the other night at the restaurant. I want to know the people who are trying to know me."

"You already know me," Steve said, his voice low.

"Perhaps. But a man is known by the company he keeps." Wo Fat inclined his head towards Danny. "Old Greek proverb."

Danny rolled his eyes. "That's just great. We can't get the normal criminals. Oh, no. We have to get the ones who are bilingual in proverbs."

Wo Fat ignored Danny's comment and kept his focus on Steve.

"You already know the company I keep. You know about Danny," Steve said.

Wo Fat inclined his head again. "True. But what about the rest of your team? Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua?"

Steve shook his head. "I only work with them. Nothing more. They don't know anything about you."

Wo Fat nodded. "And young Agent Kaye?" he continued. "You're not forgetting to count her among your friends, are you?"

Steve shook his head. "No. She's not a friend. She just had something I needed. That's all. I don't even know where she is right now."

Wo Fat gave smiled one of his chilling smiles. "I know you are lying, Commander McGarrett - about all of it. Agent Kaye is sitting in a HPD conference room, right now, where your other partners, and friends, Officers Kelly and Kalakaua left her. Presumably before driving out here to meet you."

Steve's blood ran cold.

"You see," Wo Fat continued, "words are very… unreliable. As you have just demonstrated, people will say almost anything, especially when they are stressed. That's why it's good to have a test."

A knot formed in the pit of Steve's stomach. "What kind of test?" he asked.

"A test to see who, besides you, is interested in knowing me. And that test has already been administered. Would you like to know what it was?"

Steve stared at Wo Fat, jaw clenched, and remained silent.

Wo Fat studied Steve for a moment, waiting to see if he would speak. Steve did not.

Wo Fat nodded his head once. "Well, I will enlighten you anyway. The fastest way to see how many fish are in the ocean is to dangle bait in the water, and see how many fish come to bite." Wo Fat smiled a small smile. "At last count, there were five little fish, right there at the surface, ready to eat."

Steve resisted the urge to close his eyes and instead cursed inwardly again. This was going from bad to worse quickly.

The marks on the post card had been a trap to draw him to the cannery- that much was already clear.

But not only that, Wo Fat evidently had sent the postcards to him and the tape recorder to Jenna. He wanted them to connect the dots. He wanted to draw them out. He wanted to know who his enemies were.

Wo Fat knew Steve well enough to know that when the evidence reappeared he would start investigating again. And Steve did not disappoint him. Within days of Jenna's arrival, he had brought Danny, Chin, and Kono into the investigation. And right up to the surface. After today, there would be no doubt in Wo Fat's mind as to who knew about him and wanted him either captured or killed. Steve had served himself and his team up to him on a silver platter.

Steve had to fight down bile in his throat. Although he was stoic on the outside, without a single muscle twitch, the revelation was making him sick on the inside. But he could not show that. Not now. And certainly not to his enemy.

Steve set his jaw, looked at Wo Fat, and said, "So you sent us the evidence and lured us here, to see who would come. What happened to 'the man that strikes first admits his ideas have given out'?"

Wo Fat smiled slightly and said, "so, you were paying attention. Good. However, there is another old Chinese proverb you might want to know."

Steve's jaw remained taunt and his eyes narrowed. "Yeah? What is it?" he demanded.

Wo Fats face lost all traces of good humor. There was no doubt in Steve's mind that beneath his stone facade was an ice cold killer.

Wo Fat moved a little closer to Steve. They stared at each other intensely for a moment. Neither man blinked.

Then Wo Fat said, coldly, "kill one to warn a hundred."

And with that, Wo Fat turned and walked out the door, just seconds before a gunshot rang out.

_To be continued… _

*************************************H50*************************************

A/N: mwahahahaha…. I always wanted to do an evil laugh. I never get to do one in my fun, happy stories.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: Wow, guys! If I knew how excited everyone would get by waving a gun around, I would have done it a lot earlier! :D

So… Steve or Danny… Danny or Steve... hmmm…

Ok, I'll put you out of your misery now and let you read. Hopefully, I picked the one you wanted. :)

Chapter 7

***************************************H50************************************

Steve didn't even have time to prepare before the bullet slammed into his left shoulder, right next to his vest. The force of the bullet's impact knocked him down to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Steve!" Danny yelled as he lunged to try and break his partner's fall.

The gunman who was assigned to Danny stepped forward and used his gun to pistol-whip him, sending him crashing to the floor on his face. Danny did not move again.

Steve struggled to get up, but his gunman stepped forward, his gun still trained on Steve. Steve froze, still on his knees, his right hand on the ground and his left arm pressed against his body.

The gunmen started backing up towards the door. They kept their guns trained on Steve and Danny all the way, until they passed through the door and slammed it closed. Steve heard a loud, scraping sound, as if something heavy was being moved in the hallway.

Steve got up as quickly as he could and made his way over to Danny, dropping down on his knees by his side. Danny was still face down on the floor with a gash on the left side of his head, right above his ear. His eyes were closed and he still wasn't moving.

"Danny? Can you hear me?" Steve asked urgently, afraid to turn him over for fear of causing further damage.

Danny moaned. "Are they gone?"

Steve sighed a breath of relief. "Yeah, they're gone."

"Good," Danny said as he rolled over, groaning from the effort. "I never liked playing possum. But it is preferable to being killed."

"Or worse than killed," Steve deadpanned.

Danny rewarded him with a wry smile. "So you were listening."

"Yeah. Can you open your eyes?" Steve asked.

Danny hesitated and then slowly opened one eye.

"You look like a pirate. How about opening the other one too?"

Danny sighed, but complied.

Steve looked into Danny's eyes for a minute. "OK," he said finally. "It looks like you probably have a mild concussion." He then gently inspected the side of Danny's head and nodded. "You're already getting a nice goose egg, and you'll get a bruise from falling, but the cut itself is not too deep. And it looks like the blood is already starting to clot. It should stop bleeding in a few minutes."

"Guess it's my lucky day," Danny complained. He struggled to sit up, the effort making him dizzy. Steve sat down next to him and hooked his right hand under Danny's left triceps to help steady him. After a minute, Danny's vision cleared and the room stopped spinning.

"You good?" Steve asked.

Danny nodded.

Steve let go of Danny's arm and grimaced as he leaned back against the desk.

Danny looked appraisingly at Steve's shoulder. "How bad is it?" he asked.

Steve shook his head. "Not bad."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. So why are you bleeding like a stuck pig?"

"It's just a fles…" Steve started but stopped when Danny held up his hand.

"Steven McGarrett," Danny said, "I swear, if you say it's only a flesh wound, I will strangle you with my bare hands."

Steve closed his mouth.

Danny nodded. "That's what I thought. Now I'm going to take off your vest and button-down shirt and try to stop the bleeding. You will cooperate with me, got it?"

Steve nodded. "Got it."

Danny worked as carefully as he could, undoing the Velcro on the vest and slipping it off without incident. The shirt, however, was a different matter.

"I don't see why we have to take off my shirt." Steve said, biting back the pain caused by slipping his right arm out of the armhole. "You're wearing one too, not to mention that silly tie. Why don't you put it to good use for once?"

"There are three reasons why we are using your shirt," Danny said, continuing to work carefully as he talked. "Number one, you always wear two shirts anyway, so you have built in redundancy. Number two, I don't wear two shirts, and there is no way I am sitting in here, alone with you, half naked. No matter how much you are bleeding. It's just not going to happen. End of story. And number three, I don't think my tie will soak up much blood. I like the stain resistant ones, and they tend to be fairly water repellant. Ergo, my tie would do you no good and nice ties are hard to find."

"Ergo?"

"Just trying to make sure you were still paying attention."

Danny finished removing the shirt with one last small tug. Steve winced, but said nothing. Danny carefully lifted Steve's t-shirt away from his shoulder and looked through the neck hole, trying to get a better look at the wound. He then gently moved Steve forward and checked his back before carefully placing Steve's t-shirt back down and leaning him back against the desk.

Steve grunted. "How does it look?"

Danny sighed. "Well, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But it looks ok. Not bad, but not good either. There's an exit wound, so that's good. But you're bleeding more than I'd like. So, my vote is we don't move you around too much."

Steve closed his eyes. Danny was right. The news wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't great.

Danny rolled up the shirt and looped it over Steve's shoulder, pressing it firmly on both the entry and exit wounds. Steve hissed back the pain.

"Yeah, I know," Danny said quietly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

Then Steve opened his eyes and said, "It sounds quiet out there."

Danny nodded. "I noticed that too. Do you think they're gone?"

Steve shook his head, then immediately regretted it as a fresh wave of pain shot through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, exhaled, and said, "I don't know."

"Can you hold this?" Danny asked, nodding to the shirt.

"Yeah." Steve raised his right arm and pressed the shirt against his shoulder, relieving Danny's hand.

Danny stood up and walked to the door. He tried to open it, but it would not move. He tried again, pushing it with his shoulder as hard as he could, but the door didn't budge at all. "Well, we can't get out through the door," he said. "They pushed something heavy against it. That must have been what made the scraping noise."

Danny looked up at the window and dragged a chair over to it. He stood on the chair and looked outside for a moment. Then he sighed and said, "the window's too narrow for either one of us to get through. And it looks out onto a forest, not a road or even the parking lot. Even if we could get it open to signal someone, there would be no way anyone would see us. So, it looks like we are officially stuck."

"Great," Steve sighed.

Danny stepped off the chair and walked back over to Steve. He sat down and took the shirt back from him, pressing it to Steve's shoulder.

They sat quietly for a few more minutes.

"Chin and Kono should be getting here soon," Danny said, breaking the silence.

Steve looked at his watch. "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about," he replied.

"They're good. They'll be ok," Danny reassured, as much for his own sake as for Steve's.

Steve sighed again. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But they have no idea they might be walking into an ambush."

_To be continued… _

***************************************H50************************************

A/N- So, did that satisfy all the whump fans, or do you want more? Yeah, I already know the answer to that… Question is, whether or not I will give it to you. :evil grin:

PS- this evil thing is kind of fun- who knew?


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: Good news, guys! I am pretty much finished with the story (excluding some last minute tweaking). Yeah! :D

Next week is really busy for me personally, but I am going to do my best to get it all posted for you. Here is a *tentative* posting schedule for the next week or two (no promises)…

Monday, April 11- chapter 9

Wednesday, April 13- chapter 10

Thursday, April 14- Beer and Taxes – one shot (if you procrastinated doing your taxes, you're in good company- Danny did too)

Friday, April 15 or Monday, April 18- epilogue

After that, I'm going to pass out, lol. :)

And now that the housekeeping is out of the way, we can get back to the story…

Chapter 8

************************************H50*************************************

Kono pulled her car up to a stop next to Danny's Camaro. There was no sign of Steve or Danny, or anyone else for that matter. The cannery was devoid of signs of life.

Chin's intuition immediately sounded warning bells in his mind. Something was wrong. Really wrong. He looked over at Kono. The look on her face said she felt it too.

They each pulled their weapon, double-checking it to make sure the safety was off and that there was a round in the chamber.

"I'll take point," Chin said. "We'll go on three."

At the count of three, they both burst from the car, Kono covering Chin and then following a just few steps behind. They quickly made it to the closed front door and stood on either side of the doorframe. Chin looked at the door, noting the damage where it had been kicked in. Steve had definitely been there. But so had someone else. Otherwise, the door would still be open.

Chin had been a cop for over 15 years. He could recognize an ambush when he saw one. And that was probably what awaiting them on the other side. However, there were still no signs of Steve or Danny. They would have warned them if at all possible. Which meant they were either being held captive or were injured. Perhaps both.

Chin looked at his cousin. He did not want to lead her inside, into a possible trap. But he also could not wait for backup, knowing Steve and Danny might be in trouble inside while they waited. Not to mention that he had no idea where the ambush would come from. For all he knew, there were snipers outside, who already had their weapons trained on them.

It was a no-win scenario. Chin had to make the best call he could and hope for the best.

He blew out a deep breath and nodded to Kono, who nodded back. He could see the trust and resolve in her eyes. He prayed he would not let her down.

Chin counted to three, mouthing the words and then threw the front door open, sweeping inside and to the left as quickly as he could, Kono right on his heels.

Chin was rewarded for his efforts by the click of a gun, right next to his left temple.

One of the gunmen had been waiting right inside the door, his body pressed up against the wall between the door and a window. There was no way to see him before entering. And nothing Chin could have done to avoid it.

Kono was also inside before she ever saw the gunman. She quickly swung her gun around and trained her gun on the man, creating as clean of a line of fire as she could. The last thing she wanted was to catch Chin in cross-fire. In doing so, she created a quintessential standoff. However, it did not last long.

"How good of you to join us, Officers Kelly and Kalakaua," Wo Fat said, smiling, as he emerged from the adjoining room. The other gunman was right beside him, his gun trained right at Kono's head.

"I have to admit, I would have been surprised if you had not," Wo Fat continued. "Now, kindly drop your weapons."

Kono did not move. She reasoned that she might be able to get off a shot and hit the man who was holding a gun to Chin. If she was lucky, the gunman would be dead before he could get a shot off. However, if she did, the other gunman would shoot her and then probably Chin as well. The odds were they would both be dead. Chin's life and hers for one gunman was not a good trade. Not to mention that it could mean the end of Steve and Danny's lives as well.

"We can wait all day while you think about it, Officer Kalakaua," Wo Fat said pleasantly. "We have all the time in the world. Unfortunately, I cannot make the same assurances for Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams."

Kono glanced at Wo Fat. There was no way to tell if he was bluffing. His face betrayed no emotion. And Kono could not hear any noises in the cannery. The place was eerily quiet. Bluffing or not, she could not take a chance and possibly endanger any of their lives by delaying any longer.

Kono looked at Chin. She could see he had come to the same conclusion as well. He nodded his head slightly. She pursed her lips and nodded back, their silent agreement made.

Kono took her finger off the trigger and turned the barrel of her gun to the ceiling. Chin did the same.

The gunman standing by Wo Fat quickly removed both of their guns. Then he patted them down, confiscating their back-up weapons and cell phones. The other gunman never moved, his weapon still at Chin's temple.

Once the gunman who had frisked them was satisfied they were clean, he went into the other room and returned with a roll of duct tape.

"Please put your hands behind your backs," Wo Fat said.

Kono and Chin exchanged another look. Wo Fat's manners were perfectly polite, but they knew he was not making a simple request. And the consequences for not obeying had not changed. Resigned, they both complied.

The gunman securely duct taped Chin's wrists behind his back and then did the same to Kono's.

Wo Fat smiled and said, "Please, take a seat." He gestured towards and old, worn-out sofa sitting on the far side wall of the lobby.

Having no other option, Chin and Kono walked over and sat down. Chin's gunman adjusted his stance, pointing his gun at both of them on the sofa.

Wo Fat nodded to the duct tape gunman, who disappeared out the front door. Then Wo Fat turned his gaze back to Chin and Kono, giving the impression that he was carefully studying the cousins.

"Where are Steve and Danny?" Chin demanded. He did not really expect Wo Fat to give him a honest answer, but he hoping he would give something away with his body language or demeanor. However, Chin was disappointed when the question didn't even seem to register with Wo Fat. The man was as unreadable as a statue.

"They might be around here somewhere," Wo Fat replied serenely, "but it's hard to say."

"Are they ok?" Kono asked. She hoped, and prayed, they were just bound in another room, like she and Chin were, and not injured. Or worse.

"That also would be hard to say," Wo Fat replied.

The cousins exchanged a worried look. However, their attention was quickly diverted to the front of the cannery when they heard a car drive up to the front and a car door being opened.

"It has been a pleasure meeting both of you," Wo Fat said, nodding his head once. Then he turned and walked out the door.

Seconds later, they heard eight gunshots.

Horrified, Chin and Kono jumped up off the sofa and started to run towards the door.

The remaining gunman stepped forward, his gun still pointed at them.

Chin and Kono froze where they were.

"Why were there gunshots? Where are Steve and Danny? " Chin demanded of the gunman, trying to rein in his growing panic.

The gunman did not say anything. Instead, he backed out the front door and was gone.

Chin and Kono immediately followed, running out the door. They were just in time to see the last gunman shut the passenger side door of a white Mercedes, which then sped out of the parking lot towards the road.

Kono glanced at her car and Danny's Camaro. All four tires had been shot out of both cars. There was no way to follow them. But at least the bullets were in the tires, and not in their friends.

Chin ran after the Mercedes, trying to get a license plate number as the car pulled onto the main road. He ran back to Kono, shaking his head. "I was only able to get a partial," he said.

Kono nodded and then they both ran back inside, yelling Steve and Danny's names, scared to death that they might be too late.

_To be continued…._

************************************H50*************************************


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Anyone excited about the new show tonight? Me too!

But in the meantime, does anyone want to check in on Steve and Danny? If so, today is your lucky day...

Chapter 9

**********************************H50**********************************

Steve's eyes popped open.

Danny was staring at him, white as a sheet, horrified.

Steve was stunned. He wasn't dreaming. He really had heard gunfire. Eight shots, to be exact.

Chin and Kono must have arrived. He never heard Kono's car pull up. He had not heard Chin or Kono's voice, or anyone else's for that matter. And he had absolutely no idea what had just happened. All Steve knew was that it felt like each one of the eight gunshots had been fired directly into his chest.

Danny was still staring at Steve, disbelief in his eyes. "Was that…" he said, his voice trailing off.

Suddenly, Danny jumped up, dropping Steve's makeshift bandage on the floor. He ran to the door and began banging on it with his fists, yelling, "Chin! Kono! Chin!"

Danny's action snapped Steve out of his daze. He struggled to his feet and made his way to the door, shouting every profanity he could think of at Wo Fat.

Chin and Kono were just running back into the cannery when they heard yelling. They stopped for a second, listening.

"They're that way," Chin said, nodding down the hallway. They ran as fast as they could and stopped at a door at the end of the hall, which was blocked by a large metal bookcase turned on its side.

"Steve! Danny! Are you ok?" Chin yelled.

"Chin! Thank God!" Danny shouted.

"Chin- we're ok! Are you and Kono all right?" Steve yelled.

"Yes, we're fine! We ran into Wo Fat and his men. They're gone now, but they duck taped our hands and blocked the door. It'll take us a minute to get free before we can get you out. Hang in there, ok?"

"It's not like we can go anywhere. Believe me, we tried," Danny called back.

Chin and Kono quickly started rubbing the tape on their wrists against opposite corners of the bookcase. The old, rusted metal quickly started cutting through the tape.

"Did you see Wo Fat leave?" Steve asked urgently.

"Yes, he left in a white Mercedes heading south on the highway. I was able to get a partial plate. But they shot out the tires in our cars so we couldn't follow them," Chin said, still rubbing the tape against the bookcase.

"Great, just great," Danny said, shaking his head. He raised his eyebrows, looked at Steve and said, "just so you know, I'm making you pay for the new tires."

Steve ignored him. "Chin, do you have a phone?" he called.

"No, they took our phones," Chin said, now free of the tape. Kono snapped through the rest of her tape as well and they began pushing the bookcase, moving it a few feet.

"We need a phone!" Steve insisted.

Chin grunted as he pushed the bookcase and then said, "as soon as we get you out, I'll run to the main road and flag someone down."

With one final push, the bookcase was out of the way.

Chin threw open the door and stared at Steve and Danny, who were standing just inside. He couldn't believe what he saw.

Steve was half-standing, half-leaning, bent at the waist. His left arm was pressed against his side and he was favoring his left shoulder, which was bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound. His vest was off and his t-shirt, top part of his pants, left arm, and both hands were covered in blood.

Danny didn't look much better. He had the beginning of a large bruise on his cheek and a gash above his left temple. Most of the left side of his head was caked in dried blood. He had more blood on his hands and shirt, presumably from Steve, but it was hard for Chin to really tell.

Needless to say, they both looked like a mess.

"I thought you said you were ok!" Chin exclaimed.

Steve looked somewhat guilty and offered a small grin. "More or less," he said.

"I'd definitely say less," Kono scolded, walking into the room. "Both of you, sit," she demanded, pointing to the floor.

Danny looked at Steve, shrugged, and then sat down. Steve followed suit.

Kono turned to Chin and told him, "I've got this covered. You go flag someone down."

Chin raised his eyebrows and shot an amused grin at Steve and Danny before turning and running down the hall.

Kono quickly picked up Steve's discarded shirt and pressed it firmly against his shoulder.

"Hey, that hurts!" Steve protested.

"Too bad," Kono glared at him. Then she turned to look at Danny and asked, "how's the head?"

"It's ok," Danny lied.

Kono raised one eyebrow and stared at Danny, frowning.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Ok, it hurts. A lot, actually. But it's stopped bleeding and I've probably only got a mild concussion, so all we really need to worry about is Captain America here."

"Who still wants a phone," Steve complained, looking at his watch.

"What is it with you and the phone?" Danny asked crossly. "Do you want to order a pizza or something?"

"Yes, Danny. I want to order a pizza. Extra pineapple," Steve replied sarcastically.

Danny made a face at Steve.

Kono rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Chin ran back into the room, holding a phone. "I already called an ambulance. They'll be here in 10 minutes."

"Thanks. Give me the phone," Steve said, holding out his right hand. Chin handed him the phone and Steve hurriedly began dialing.

"Good. Now we get to find out who Steve is dying to call," Danny grumbled and then looked up at Chin. "It's a good thing you found a phone. Otherwise, I'd ask you to shoot me to put me out of my misery."

"And I'd be happy to help you out with that, brah," Chin grinned, "but they took my gun."

"Figures," Danny groused, rubbing his head.

Steve held up his hand for silence and then put the phone up to his right ear, gingerly plugging his left ear with his finger.

"Yes, Governor," Steve said. "Wo Fat left no more than 5 minutes ago. He's heading south on Kamehameha Highway in a white Mercedes. Chin got a partial- hold on for a second." Steve looked up at Chin.

"It started with KZF," Chin said.

"Governor," Steve continued, "the plate started with KZF- kilo, zulu, foxtrot… yes, that's right. Thank you. Please call me back at this number the second you hear anything. Yes, ma'am, we're fine… thank you. Thank you, Governor."

Steve hung up the phone, closed his eyes, and blew out a sigh of relief.

"Care to tell us what that was all about?" Danny questioned.

Steve opened his eyes and nodded. "I called the governor before we came out here today. I told her if I didn't call her by 6:00 pm sharp, to put a chopper in the air and to send a SWAT team and some uniformed cops to this address. They were already on their way, so she is diverting them to intercept Wo Fat's Mercedes on the highway. She's going to call me to confirm his apprehension as soon as she can."

Danny, Chin, and Kono all stared at Steve, speechless.

"What?" Steve asked innocently. Then he looked at Danny. "Didn't you tell me just this morning that I need backup, lots and lots of backup?" he asked.

Danny was the first one who was able to speak. "That's a_ hell_ of a lot of backup!" he said, incredulously.

Steve turned the corner of his mouth up in a grin. "What can I say? I'm an overachiever."

_To be continued…_

**********************************H50**********************************

A/Ns: Ok, show of hands... who saw that one coming? Apparently, Steve does listen. Well, more or less. Usually, less. ;)

And, man, a pizza sounds really good right now!


	10. Chapter 10

A/Ns: How great was the episode this week? We got whump, a snarky Danny "I heart you", and "marticulating", lol. Not to mention some really great acting and finding out who took the $200k and where it went... (evidently, if you're a tourist in china, you need to sleep with one eye open. otherwise, you really will wind up in a hotel bathtub missing a kidney). ;)

But, I have to admit, this exchange made my day:

Danny - "That still doesn't explain why someone is sending that case evidence back to you."

Steve- "Maybe someone's trying to lead me to Wo Fat."

Danny- "Maybe Wo Fat's trying to lure you."

I almost stood up and yelled "that's what I had them say at the end of chapter 4!"

Ok, maybe not the *exact* same words, but the same idea, and that's close enough for me. :D

And now, back to the story...

Chapter 10

***************************************H50*************************************

Steve woke up slowly.

At first, all he could hear was indistinct sounds, far away, as if he was in a well. Slowly, the sounds gained focus- beeps, clicks and clacks, voices. Then he was able to discern the source of the sounds. The beeps of a heart monitor. The clicks and clacks of hard soled shoes on a linoleum floor. Chin's calm baritone, Kono's happy alto, Danny's animated tenor, all combined into a beautiful chorus of sound.

Steve strained to hear as their words came into focus.

"I still can't believe he listened to me. Twice. In one day. And in one conversation, for that matter. That's got to be some sort of record," Danny said.

"Didn't happen," Steve said hoarsely, blinking as he opened his eyes.

"Hey, you're awake." Kono smiled as she got off the end of Steve's hospital bed. She walked to the bedside tray and picked up a large plastic cup of water, holding the straw to Steve's mouth for him to take a drink.

"What didn't happen?" Danny asked as he smiled, walking over from the wall where he and Chin had been leaning.

Steve took a sip of water and then said, "me. Listening to you."

"Oh, no you don't," Danny said, shaking his head. "You can't deny it now. It most certainly did happen. You listened to me about backup and you listened to me about being worse than killed."

Steve smiled and gestured with his right hand to the bandage on the side of Danny's head. "That thug must have hit you harder than I thought. You must have one heck of a concussion to be dreaming up all of that."

Danny inclined his head. "I only have a minor concussion, thank you very much. So you're not getting out of it that easy."

"That's true," Chin chimed in. "Kono and I were there. We heard you say that you listened to Danny about needing backup. Lots and lots of backup, if I remember correctly."

Steve grimaced. "Darn. I forgot you were there."

Danny smiled smugly, hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Well, just don't get used to it. It's not going to become a habit or anything," Steve said, grinning.

"Ok," Danny said, laughing. "But I am glad that, for once, you listened to me about backup."

"Did it work?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Kono said. "The helicopter picked up on Wo Fat about 5 minutes after you called the Governor. The police apprehended him and he's currently in jail, being watched very closely. We told you when you woke up for a few seconds in the recovery room, but I guess you don't remember. You were pretty woozy," she grinned.

Steve nodded solemnly and said, "good. I'm glad we got him. When will he be in court?"

"They're arraigning him first thing in the morning," Danny said. "His lawyer is already at the jail going on and on about how his client is not guilty and that he would push for a preliminary hearing by the end of the week." Danny shrugged. "I guess justice works quickly when you're incredibly rich."

"I want to be at that hearing," Steve said.

"We'll have to see about that. I'm not sure how well you'll be able to get around, or if you'll even be out of the hospital by then. The doctor said it might take a while to recover," Danny said.

"That bad, huh?" Steve asked, yawning and looking at the large mound of bandages on his left shoulder.

"No," Danny said. "It's actually good. Miraculously good, in fact. The surgeon was amazed. He said you must have been hit at exactly the right angle to not have extensive internal damage. But still, you were shot, and you lost a decent amount of blood. So, you need to take it easy for a few days."

"Like that's really going to happen," Chin said, under his breath, earning him a grin from Steve and a scowl from Danny.

"Here's what I don't get," Kono said, changing the subject, "why did Wo Fat wait until Chin and I got there to leave? He could have left earlier and made a clean getaway."

"I think he wanted to see who showed up," Steve said. "He was trying to find out who is interested in him. What better way than to see for himself?"

"Evidently he missed the proverb on what happens to curious cats," Danny smirked.

Steve grinned. "And he also slipped up on something else, too. He gave us some information he probably didn't want us to know."

"What's that?" Kono asked.

"He said he knew of five of us looking for him, which would be the four of us and Jenna," Steve said. "That makes me think he is not focusing on the Governor or Mary. So, they are probably safe, at least for now. "

"Let's hope it stays that way," Chin said.

Steve nodded and yawned again.

"I think that's our cue to get out of here and let you sleep," Kono said.

"What time is it, anyway?" Steve asked.

"It's almost 2:00 a.m.," Chin answered.

"Oh," Steve said, frowning, "that must be why I'm so tired."

"Yeah, that must be it," Danny chuckled. "You can't be tired because you got shot, and lost a lot of blood, and just came out of surgery, and have about a bazillion drugs running through your body," Danny continued, gesturing to Steve's IV.

"No, that can't be it," Steve grinned.

Chin pulled the phone out of his pocket and put it on Steve's bedside tray. "Call me at my place if you need anything, ok?"

"Sure," Steve said, "but I'll bet the owner of that phone wants it back by now."

"Nah, he's good," Chin replied. "I showed him my badge and told him I'd give him $500 for it. I'll get a check in the mail to him later today."

"$500?" Steve asked.

Chin shrugged, grinning. "What can I say? I was a bit desperate. I didn't want to take the time to negotiate."

Steve smiled. "Thanks, Chin. Make sure you send me the bill."

Chin shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Boss. It was money well spent."

"Ok, we really do need to get out of here," Kono said, walking to the door. Chin and Danny followed.

"You'll let me know the minute you hear about the hearing, right?" Steve asked. "I want to be there."

Danny paused at the door and smiled affectionately. "We'll have to see about that, remember? Besides, you know we'll be there even if you can't. We've got you covered."

Steve nodded and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I know," he said, smiling, and drifted off to sleep.

Chin and Kono paused at the door for a few seconds and then walked down the hall.

Danny waited for one more minute to make sure Steve was asleep. Then he smiled, turned off the lights, and quietly closed the door.

_To be continued…_

***************************************H50*************************************

A/Ns: We are almost there, guys! Just the epilogue to go! :)

And, FYI, the epilogue will go up on Monday. I have two new one-shots I'm going to post this week, and I only have so much time. I hope that is ok. :)


	11. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. Think of this as "TV law lite".

A/Ns: This is it! The End! A million thanks to everyone who read this story. Your reading, alerts, favorites, and especially reviews made my day many times over. You are all the best and I truly appreciate you taking this journey with me. You guys rock as much as malasadas. Maybe even more. :)

And a special shout out goes to cokie316, for her encouragement and for patiently listening to me waffle for 2 weeks over the ending to this story. I'm still not sure why she didn't come find me and shoot me, just to shut me up, or at least stop responding to my messages. But I am glad she did not. Hopefully, you will be, too. :)

Epilogue

*************************************H50****************************************

"I'm sorry that I can't come the hearing, Steve," the Governor said. "I really wanted to be there when we nail this SOB."

"I know, but it's just too dangerous," Steve replied. "We can't risk Wo Fat seeing you. He doesn't know you sent the helicopter and police after him. He has to think you are in the dark or you'll be a target."

"I still wish I could go," she sighed. "Call me the minute the judge hands down his ruling."

"I will, Governor," Steve said and then hung up the phone.

"You ready?" Danny asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Steve opened the passenger side door of the Camaro and got out, walking towards the courthouse. It took some finagling, but the hospital agreed to discharge him in time to go to Wo Fat's hearing. He and Danny walked in silence under the trees and up the courthouse steps. Chin, Kono, and Jenna were waiting for them inside in the lobby.

"How are you?" Kono asked Steve.

"Fine," Steve replied, "The doctor said I'm healing up nicely." Steve knew Kono was not asking about his shoulder, which was carefully bandaged, his arm in a sling. She was asking about him mentally and emotionally; if he was ready to see the man who tried to kill him, who had killed his parents, and who probably wanted to kill all of his friends as well.

And Steve was ready. Ready for it to happen. Ready for it to be over with. Ready to see Wo Fat be sentenced to a trial, where he would undoubtedly be convicted and sent to prison to rot for the rest of his life.

But although Steve was ready for justice, he was not ready to talk about it. So, he deflected Kono's comment instead. There would be time for emotions later. Time to let go of the anger and grief he kept carefully locked away. But not now. Not until justice was served.

And justice was what awaited him as he stepped into the court room. Steve sat down on the first row, behind the district attorney, Danny and Chin to his right, Kono and Jenna to his left.

The Assistant District Attorney, Kathleen Roberts, turned and nodded at them. "You ready?" she asked.

They each nodded back and then turned to see Wo Fat as he was brought into the court room. He was impeccably dressed, as always, without a single wrinkle on his suit or a hair out of place. He looked calmly over at Steve and then slowly looked at Danny, Chin, Kono, and Jenna as he made his way to the defense table.

Each member of the team glared back at him, not blinking, and followed him with their eyes until he sat down.

"All rise," the court clerk said, "court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Hamilton now presiding over the Honolulu District Court."

They rose and stood as the judge entered the courtroom and took his bench, then sat back down.

"Court is now in session," Judge Hamilton said. "The prosecution may begin," he said, nodding to the ADA.

ADA Roberts stood. "Your honor, the defendant Wo Fat, is charged with one count of attempted first degree murder, one count of first degree aggravated assault, and four counts of kidnapping. "

"How does the defendant plead?" Judge Hamilton asked.

"Not guilty, your honor," replied Mr. Lee, Wo Fat's attorney.

"Ms. Roberts, please state your case," the judge said.

"Your honor, the defendant, Mr. Wo Fat, lured Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett, Detective Danny Williams, Officer Chin Ho Kelly, and Officer Kalakaua to an abandoned cannery. He then ordered one of his employees to shoot Commander McGarrett and another to strike Detective Williams on the head with a gun. Mr. Wo Fat then forcibly detained both Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams by blocking them in an office. He also held Officer Kelly and Officer Kalakaua at gunpoint and then forcibly detained both of them as well."

"How does the defense respond?" asked the judge.

Mr. Lee stood up, buttoned his suit jacket and smiled. "Your honor, my client is innocent of all charges. He did not lure the complainants anywhere, nor did he attempt to kill them, injure them, or detain them in any way."

"Your honor," ADA Roberts said, "we have the statements of four complainants, who are sitting in this courtroom behind us. They are all officers of the law. They did not make this up."

"Is that so?" Mr. Lee asked.

"Yes, it is," the ADA responded.

"Well, if that is the case, where is the evidence? How do you know my client lured the complainants to the cannery?" Mr. Lee asked.

"He sent them fabricated evidence. He placed marks on a postcard to change an address which lead them to the cannery. "

"And you can prove this?" asked Mr. Lee. "Did you get my client's fingerprints off the postcard? Did someone see him sending the postcard? Or even in possession of it, for that matter?"

"It is a suspicion at this point," the ADA conceded, "but we will be able to prove it before we go to trial, your honor. How else would Mr. Wo Fat have known Commander McGarrett and the 5-0 team would be at the cannery? He sent them the evidence and then he had someone watch the cannery and let him know when they arrived."

"A very unlikely scenario, your honor," Mr. Lee said.

The ADA turned and looked at Mr. Lee. "Then how do you explain Mr. Wo Fat's presence at the cannery?"

Mr. Lee smiled. "My client got lost and was merely stopping to ask for directions."

The ADA looked incredulous. "Your honor…"

The judge nodded, "let's move on, Ms. Roberts."

Steve and Danny looked at each other, concerned. This was not going well.

The ADA breathed in and out and then started again. "The defendant, Mr. Wo Fat, is charged with ordering one of his employees to shoot Commander McGarrett."

Wo Fat's lawyer shook his head. "Once again," he said, "Ms. Roberts has no proof. My client was tested for gunshot residue when he was taken into custody. There were no traces. He was not even in the room when the shooting occurred. And he did not tell anyone to injure Commander McGarrett."

"He had it all prearranged with his employees. All he had to do was give them a look and they carried out his orders!" Ms. Roberts exclaimed.

"So now looking is a crime? Should my client wear a hood everywhere, so he can't look at anyone?" Mr. Lee questioned calmly.

"I certainly hope you have some evidence in this case somewhere, Ms. Roberts," the judge said. "Perhaps it is in the aggravated assault or kidnapping sections?"

Steve was stunned. He looked at Danny, Chin, Kono, and Jenna. They looked exactly how he felt.

After a few seconds, it clicked. Steve cursed every curse word he knew in his head. He stood up and forcefully said, "Your honor, I request a moment with the District Attorney, please."

"Denied," the judge said, "now please sit down."

Steve did not sit. "Then I request a new judge, your honor," he demanded, barely able to control the anger in his voice.

"That is not your request to make," the judge said, indignantly. "It has to come from one of the counsels. And such a request cannot be made once a hearing has started. Now please sit down and be quiet or I will have you forcibly removed from my court room!"

Steve remained standing for a minute, jaw clenched, then slowly sat down.

"What was that all about?" Danny whispered.

Steve shook his head slightly, barely able to hear. The ADA continued presenting the case, but Steve had no idea what she said. It didn't matter anyway.

"Steve?" Danny asked and then gently shook his right arm. "Steve?"

Steve sat there, processing his thoughts and trying to keep his anger in check. Finally, he heard the judge speaking and looked up.

"Due to the lack of evidence presented today, I rule there is not probable cause to move forward with a trial. This case is dismissed. The defendant is free to go." The judge pounded his gavel and stood to leave.

Steve knew it. Wo Fat had gotten to the judge, either by intimidation, threats, or bribery. It really didn't matter. There was no way the judge was ever going to let the case go forward.

Everyone else in the courtroom was stunned.

After a few seconds, Danny recovered, stood up and angrily yelled, "_what the hell was that_?"

The judge did not turn around but instead disappeared out the back door into his chambers.

Wo Fat shook his attorney's hand, calmly gathered his belongings, and turned to walk down the main aisle of the courtroom.

Steve stood up and pushed past Danny and Chin to the aisle. He looked directly at Wo Fat, hatred and determination in his eyes. "I will get you," Steve promised emphatically, growling each word.

Wo Fat did not acknowledge Steve's threat. His face betrayed no emotion. He did not look at Steve or anyone else. He continued walking calmly, not breaking stride, until he opened the door at the back of the courtroom and disappeared.

Steve stood staring at the closed door, fuming, his body almost shaking with rage.

After a few minutes, Danny placed a hand on Steve's good shoulder.

"We'll get him, Steve," Danny assured. "No matter what it takes, _we will get him_."

Steve turned and looked at Danny, intensity burning in his eyes.

Then he pursed his lips, nodded, and vowed, "Yes. _We will_."

_The End_

**************************************H50**************************************

A/Ns: If you don't like the epilogue, please don't hate me. Just pretend it doesn't exist. You are welcome to live in denial. It's a nice place, and I won't tell anyone. ;)

And thank you again so much for reading this story! I heart you! ;D

Sockie

PS- I am contemplating a sequel (tentatively titled "And Your Enemies Closer"), dependant on interest (yours) and time (mine). As to the story, it would be similar to this one, focusing on 5-0 and Wo Fat, and would pick up where an episode (likely the finale) ends. So, please let me know if that sounds like something you would like to read. (Because if you don't want to read it, I'm not going to write it). And if you are not interested, that's cool, too. I'll go back to my happy place of snarky one-shots and catch you there. ;)


End file.
